Australia skipper Aaron Finch on Saturday said his team came with a "clear plan" to win the Twenty20 World Cup and reaching the final against New Zealand came as no surprise to them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The tournament showcasing cricket's shortest format will witness a new winner in Dubai on Sunday after a clash between two teams that were not among the pre-competition favourites.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia made the semi-finals as the second-placed team behind England from their group but went on to beat Pakistan with a powerful performance in Thursday's semi-final.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Everyone had written us off, but we had a lot of confidence within. I think we came here with a really clear plan to win the tournament," Finch told reporters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We always felt as though we've got the depth of the squad and the quality in our squad to put ourselves in a position to do that."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He said: "No, it's not unexpected."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Finch praised the Black Caps who will be appearing in their third global final after winning the inaugural Test championship in June, two years after finishing runners-up in the 2019 50-over World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"And New Zealand, they have been in every final for a long time now in ICC events," said Finch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"They are a great team over all three formats of the game. They are a team that can never be under-estimated. But maybe people on the outside do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Certainly inside, we don't. They have got firepower, they have got experience, they have got class. No, I'm not surprised one bit."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Swashbuckling opener David Warner has led the team's batting charge with 236 runs in six matches and along with Finch gets the runs flowing early for his team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
- Flexible batting -<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But when Australia were in trouble at 96-5 while chasing 177 in the second semi-final, the less heralded Marcus Stoinis (40 runs) and Matthew Wade (41) drove their team home with one over to spare.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"At some point throughout the tournament, everyone in our 11 has had a match-winning contribution, which has been really impressive," said Finch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I don't think it's down to one person. I think in a big game, you need everyone to chip in their part."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Former captain Steve Smith has a highest score of 35 and was out for five in the semi-final, but Finch dismissed concerns about his form.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However Finch said the team remains flexible in their batting and called the left-handed Wade, a wicketkeeper-batsman, a "versatile" option when it comes to coming up or down the order.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Finch acknowledged the importance of pressing home the advantage in the first six overs of powerplay, especially against a potent New Zealand pace attack including Trent Boult and Tim Southee.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I think we've seen throughout the tournament the importance of the powerplay," said Finch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"A lot of games have been dictated by who has won the initial contest in the power play in both innings. No doubt it will be a real challenge. It won't define who wins the match but it does help set up your innings if you perform."<\/p>\r\n\r\n